Singing Songs Without Words
by Noxxus
Summary: /HP/DM Oneshot/ Draco is attending Wizard University and Harry's bathroom concerts every day. The latter unwillingly. Singing is Harry's way of relaxing after the war, a kind of therapy. Draco supports him of course, but he'd be lying if he didn't say that the way he mis-sang every song pissed him off.


Sunlight streamed onto the page as he scratched away with an eagle feather quill. Occasionally he'd glance over at his heavy bound book to see what he was missing. Draco was studying in anything but silence. Even though Harry was in the washroom he could still hear 'Single Ladies' in vivid detail. He doubted Harry realized how badly he was butchering the song, but oh well. If it made him happy, Draco would persevere.

Their apartment was very neat, at least for a house that contained Harry Potter. Draco did his best to grill Harry every time he left his boxers on the couch or the cereal out, but he might as well been talking to a wall. The apartment had a kitchen that connected to the living room, a single bedroom, a bathroom, and a study. Nothing really matched in the apartment, to his mother's dismay, but Draco didn't mind. He just needed to be able to find things. Something brushed his hair and he looked up in annoyance to see Harry petting his hair.

"Still studying?" Harry asked.

"Clearly," Draco sighed, "And I can see you're still singing."

"No," Harry shook his head, "I'm _serenading_ you."

With that he burst into an enthusiastic, "AND I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU!"

Draco sighed again and kissed him when he leant down. Harry went back to trying to perform his own concert and Draco resumed studying. Harry had messy black hair and glittering green eyes, and although Draco had convinced him to lose the circle glasses, he still had an aura of dork. A very cute dork, Draco thought smugly, and _his_ dork. Pale like bones, Draco's skin was a lot thinner than Harry's robust tan. Draco had ghostly blonde hair that had lightened to nearly silver once he hit his twenties. It was held back in a short ponytail which his mother would never stop giving him grief about. Men in the Malfoy family were supposed to keep their hair long. It was a sign of pride. Draco didn't want to look like his father. The idea was repulsive.

After the war his father had been okay for a while, but having been Dark for so long leaves a mark on a person's soul. He had escaped prison narrowly until he was caught for trafficking drugs. Not nearly as heinous as what he'd done during the war, but it was enough for the Ministry vultures to prove he was truly evil. Draco hated him. His chest ached as it always did when he remembered having been so infatuated with his father. He'd believed he was a great man, but that man had made his mother be a part of something horrible. That 'great man' had told Draco to be proud when the Dark Lord branded a hideous snake into his arm.

Dimly he realized he was feeling pain. His nails were digging bits off skin off the Dark Mark on his arm. The skull snake combo was considerably faded but it still churned his stomach to look at. He jumped as the sound of a very joyously sung 'House of Gold' by Twenty One Pilots was bellowed. Harry was wailing out the lyrics as he made himself some kind of sandwich. Just seeing his glowing face made Draco's chest loosen. His silvery eyes had become slush as he smiled faintly. Harry could chase away his demons so easily.

He closed his book and leaned back in the chair, listening to Harry sing. His voice was deep and a bit rough but it was soothing to listen to, or at least until Harry said the lyrics wrong completely. Draco's eye twitched. In some God forsaken way, Harry had managed to mess up every song he ever sang. Draco didn't even know if he was aware of it. Maybe it wasn't a big deal but it gave him a cringe feeling every time he messed up the lyrics. Was it really that hard to sing them correctly? Thankfully at least Harry wasn't into the same songs Draco was, so at least he didn't have to hear his favourites being butchered. Whatever Harry was making smelled good so Draco drifted over to look.

"Want some?" Harry asked, smiling when Draco stopped beside him.

"What is it?" Draco asked, looking down at what appeared to be some sort of meaty sandwich.

"Today the chef has prepared some handpicked bologna with industrial made cheddar cheese, topped with fresh crunchy lettuce and a drizzling of mustard, all set between two whole wheat slices of bread. Are you interested monsieur?

Draco plucked the sandwich out of Harry's hands, "First of all, you don't pick bologna, and secondly you've been watching too much Top Chef."

"I picked it from the store," Harry replied.

Draco scoffed and bit into the sandwich. It was good with a nice amount of crunch a bit of zing and the meat and cheese complimented each other nicely. He made a mental note to have Harry make it for him again. As he sat down at the table he felt lips press against his neck. A shiver went down his spine and he arched his back slightly, sinking into the feeling of kisses. Harry's lips moved from his neck to his jaw. It was nice until Harry licked some stray mustard off of his face. Draco swore at him and Harry danced away giggling. Embarrassed, Draco wiped the saliva off of his cheek.

"You're a nut, you know that?" Draco told him, glaring.

"Don't look so delicious if you don't want me to have a taste," Harry said, smirking.

Exasperated, Draco went back to his sandwich. When he was done he did a bit more studying while Harry flipped through a magazine, humming some ad jingle. Outside the sun slowly sunk below the horizon, the buildings casting long shadows. Their apartment turned to twilight, shades of orange and amber. The blanket of night engulfed the city. Draco felt a pang of homesickness as he looked up at the starless night sky. Yet when he looked back down he saw eyes that held a starry night sky in them. Harry kissed him gently before tugging the book out of his hands.

Together they went to their bedroom. Draco could feel Harry's heart beating against his back as they laid together in the dark. Warmth radiated from him, heating Draco to the core. He could feel his entire body easily relax, no fear of being hurt. Harry's arms were his home and even though he entered dreams, he could still feel them holding him.

* * *

He looked at the frozen pizza in his basket, then at the salad. Pizza, salad. Salad, pizza. Humming under his breath Draco placed the salad back, keeping the pizza. He'd probably just magic away some of the calories, even though it usually made it taste weird. The grocery store was cold and outside the front windows he could see the darkened parking lot. He hadn't expected to run out of food. Now it would be pizza for dinner and his inner pureblood was shuddering. His mother would faint if she knew.

Seeing as he was here, he figured he might as well stock up. Prowling through the aisles, he picked out some cereal and pickles. The dairy section was nice and chilly so he lingered as he grabbed some milk and eggs. That was when it started, a tune so robustly bouncy and familiar he felt himself start to shake his hips slightly. There was no mistaking her voice. 'Shake it Off' blasted throughout the store and Draco screamed along with the lyrics in his head.

Quickly he looked around to see if anyone was watching, and started tapping his foot. Humming and shaking his body like a maniac he swayed around. Music filled his system like a drug and he just let it take over. It was the middle of the night, who the hell would see him? It felt good. 'Shake it Off' was his jam, his crème brûlée. It felt exhilarating to just move his body in tune with the beat, shaking his milk and lip syncing. Behind him someone coughed. Horrified, he spun around to see a very familiar redhead and his spawn.

"Enjoying yourself, Draco?" Ron asked, smiling wryly.

"Tell anyone and I'll jinx you into next week," Draco snarled, a brilliant shade of red.

Ron Weasley was from a very long line of redheads and notorious 'blood traitors', although the fact no longer bothered Draco. He had too many freckles to count and fluffy ginger hair. Over the years he'd only gotten even taller, but he did fill out which Hermione seemed thrilled about. His eyes were sky blue and he had a rather long nose and thin lips. Draco could feel embarrassment rolling off himself in waves at being seen by him. Holding Ron's hand was a little red haired kid with gentle brown eyes. The kid's name was Hugo. Whoever had the idea of cursing the child with that name was either to be congratulated or promptly murdered. Depended on the day really. Draco knew he would never allow Harry to name their future children something so ridiculous.

"So, er, how're things with your schooling?" Ron asked, still grinning.

Draco placed the milk into his basket, "They're going well. Wizard University isn't exactly easy but if Hermione could manage it, I can."

"'Mione says she's always there if you need some tutoring," Ron said.

The Draco of the past would have snarled at the offer of help, but the Draco of today just smiled and said, "Tell her thank you. Does she have Rose?"

"Yeah," Ron sighed in relief, "I couldn't leave the two devils together so I took Hugo and she gets Rose. You know how it is, once they're together they're a menace."

Draco shuddered at the memory of babysitting the two, "You've got that right."

Ron's expression suddenly got serious, "So, Draco, when are you going to ask the big question? You've already bought the ring haven't you?"

"Yes," He said, "I- I'm looking for the right moment. I'm actually going to ask Harry on our anniversary, it's in-"

"A week," Ron finished, "Yeah I know. You never shut up about it. Blimey, Harry is going to be so excited."

"I don't know who will be more excited, him or the mothers."

Ron laughed, "Yeah, mum will probably cry. She thought Harry might have been permanently broken after the war, but something about you fixed him."

Draco looked down, feeling warm. Harry had been like a frozen waterfall after the wall. Everyone had been wounded after the war but Harry had stopped like a broken clock. He didn't eat. He didn't sleep. Even now Draco could remember his eyes with no light, his voice scratched from crying at night. The two of them had been two snapped wands, but somehow they healed each other. Draco would always love Harry, regardless of whether his eyes were filled with stars or the darkness in between.

"Well," Ron said, "I've got to go, Hermione is expecting me to be quick. See ya later Draco."

"Goodbye Ron," Draco said, "Goodbye Hugo."

"Bye," Hugo mumbled and began tugging his dad away.

The store was mostly empty when they left and Draco finished up shopping in solitude. As he paid he couldn't help but think about the proposal. He wanted to see Harry's face light up. He wanted to see Harry walk down the aisle nicely done up in marriage robes. His mother wouldn't cry in public, he knew that, but he knew she'd approve. Even just politically, marrying the Boy Who Lived was a good move. That didn't matter to him. What mattered was the inferno Harry kept lit in his heart making everything glow with beauty.

* * *

The apartment was completely lit up when he arrived home and he wasn't really paying attention. He hung up the keys and turned on the stove. The pizza box said to cook for fifteen minutes. A familiar beat was playing through the apartment, Harry must have been playing the radio. For a couple seconds he just let the sound wash over him, and then it hit him. In horror Draco turned to see Harry begin to sing the first few notes of 'Shake it Off'.

Every word sung was beautiful, but it was the beauty of watching light glint off a shard of glass. Any second it could cut you open. There was no way Harry could mess it up, no way in hell. 'Shake it Off' was played nearly every day. The idea was ridiculous, even Harry wouldn't do that. Draco placed the pizza in the oven once it dinged and set a magical timer with a flick of his wand. The only reason he didn't cook the pizza magically was because he wasn't very good at it. Usually it made the food taste like some kind of sour potion residue. Harry wasn't good at household magic either so Harry just opted for teaching Draco to use a stove. Speaking of Harry- he'd made it all the way to chorus without a mishap. Draco could feel himself relax a fraction.

"- shake, shake ,shake. Take it off, take it off! Bakers gonna bake bake-"

" _ENOUGH_!"

Draco's yell echoed through the apartment and Harry turned to look at him in shock. In the background Taylor Swift continued to sing the lyrics flawlessly. Irritation was like a constant itch as he turned back towards the oven. To mess up the _easiest_ of lyrics-! He had to be doing it on purpose, to _provoke_ him, to _irritate_ him. His teeth were clenched. It wasn't funny! It reminded of them when they'd been classmates; Harry had always tried to provoke him with his actions. Granted Draco had always started it, but that was irrelevant at the moment. What mattered was that even Harry wasn't going to get away with tarnishing his favourite song.

"Dray," Harry was using the pet name that usually made Draco melt, well not today, "What's wrong? Is the singing bothering you? Did something happen while you were out shopping?"

"Nothing happened," Draco said tersely.

"What is it?" Harry had come up behind him and attempted to place his hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged it off, "Don't act stupid. You were clearly doing it on purpose."

"Doing what?"

"What you always do!" Draco snapped, turning around to glare at Harry.

Harry looked bewildered, "What?"

"You always sing the lyrics wrong," Draco snarled, "Always it's the same thing, you always mess up a word or go too fast even though you've sung the song at least ten times! I tolerated it because you clearly did it on accident but this is enough! Bakers? _Really_? Take it off? I can't _believe_ you actually think those are the lyrics. Are you _trying_ to insult me?"

For a few seconds Harry stared at him blankly before he started grinning, "You're joking right? Come on Dray, it's not that big of a deal-"

"It's my _favourite_ song!" Draco said angrily, "My favourite! And you're just butchering the lyrics even though it's a Muggle pop song! It's not exactly complicated."

He laughed, "You're just cranky because you haven't eaten anything. Don't worry, the pizza is gonna bake bake bake!"

Draco went from extremely irritated to furious in a second. He could feel rage rolling off of him in waves. To insult him like this was beyond rude! He had to be doing it on purpose! And to treat his anger like a joke?! The smell of pizza was getting stronger in their apartment as it cooked, making his stomach grumble. He knew it wasn't the hunger. What it was, was Harry's rudeness, his complete inability to sing anything correctly. This was the last straw!

"You think this is funny?!" Draco whispered, venom in every word.

"Dray you know it's not a big deal," Harry said, "It's just a pop song and I didn't _mean_ to butcher it."

"Yet you did," He said, "You butchered it without a thought. Do you even listen to the lyrics?!"

"Vaguely," Harry admitted, "It's the beat that matters, isn't it?"

"Music has a meaning, not just a sound. And while it doesn't take words to express a meaning, they can make a beautiful meaning of their own."

Harry grinned, "You're getting deep. Cute. So what's the important meaning of this song I horribly butchered?"

Draco made a strangled noise and turned away fuming, "It's clearly about self-confidence you insufferable-"

Harry burst into laughter, "It's just a song Draco!"

He snapped, "That's it! No pizza for you and I hope you enjoy sleeping on the couch!"

Harry tried to change his mind but Draco gave him the ultimate Silent Treatment. When he was done a slice of pizza he Vanished the rest and locked the door to their bedroom when he went to bed. Late into the night he was awake, fuming, rolling around in bed. Harry always took his anger as a joke! Well, he'd make him regret it. Maybe in a couple years he'd talk to him again, but not any time soon! The sheets eventually ended up on the ground and the pillows ended up strewed around the bed. Harry would regret it! Definitely! When he finally fell asleep he couldn't help but feel a bit lonely without Harry's arms holding him.

* * *

The study was lit by a warm lamp. Electricity would always amaze and fascinate Draco. He wasn't sure exactly how it worked, that Rude Person hadn't explained it very well, but it was practically magic. Like an automated Lumos Charm only a bit less useful because the device had to be plugged in. Unless it was a flashlight. Flashlights were amazing, they just took a couple tiny 'batteries' and they could provide light for hours. Not that he was anything like Arthur Weasley. Hah! No, he was just moderately interested, that was all.

His report was coming along nicely. If he didn't focus on the Rude Person he wouldn't jab the 'I's through the paper or slice the 'y's into 'x's. The Rude Person was an annoying distraction, although thankfully he hadn't sung a peep since Draco had taken to locking himself in the study. Day Four of the Silent Treatment was going well. He'd show him! Maybe if the Rude Person begged and grovelled, he might grace him with his presence. Maybe. Until then he would dedicate himself to school like never before.

It was a bit lonely giving the Rude Person the Silent Treatment. Mostly because Draco himself was a very social person and pretending someone he lived with was invisible was exhausting. Every time he saw those pink lips he would want to kiss them, or touch his cheeks, or curl his fingers in his hair- He put his head in his arms. He was truly weak against Harry. But right now his rage was still fresh and he wouldn't give in so easily!

"All along it was a fever, a cold sweat hot headed believer-"

Draco's head snapped up at the familiar words being sung outside of the door. Harry? He felt a bit of his anger fade at the song, he really loved that one. Then it returned it full force. Harry would probably sing it wrong to make fun of him, make light of the situation! He was surprised. The song was sung correctly to the end. He felt warmth trickle through him like a reverse Disillusion Charm. The next song was 'Cosmic Love' and felt his anger crack and break off like rocks falling into the sea. Harry's voice was gorgeous with those notes, a perfect sound. Every word was right, as was for the next song and the next. It was only pure stubbornness that kept Draco from bursting out and hugging him. Eventually the songs stopped. It was nearly midnight.

* * *

Finally his anger faded completely. He sighed and got up from his desk, placing his quill away. Harry had probably gone to bed, but that didn't mean he couldn't at least say a quick 'I forgive you'. Sure enough when he arrived in the living room Harry was fast asleep on the couch. Draco walked up to him and bent down. Gently he placed a kiss on his forehead. He wouldn't wake him, he looked so peaceful sleeping. He turned away and a hand grabbed his own. He turned to see green eyes looking up at him, wide awake.

"I'm sorry," Harry said quietly, "I didn't mean to insult you."

"I heard you singing," Draco whispered, "It- it was very beautiful. You had every word right."

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?"

"Yes," He said, "I forgive you. Just take me more seriously in the future please. I know it probably seems stupid but it's-"

"It's important to you, so it's important to me," Harry interrupted.

Draco smiled and kisses him again. His lips were soft against his, warm and silky. The kisses deepened and Draco felt shivers running down his spine and breathlessness only Harry could evoke in him. He climbed on top of Harry and they continued to kiss, passion building. It had been extremely lonely without Harry's good morning kisses, and goodnight kisses, and surprise kisses. He would have to make up for them tonight. Draco could feel himself slipping into a floaty world where the only sound was their harsh breathing and fumbling hands.

"I love you," Draco gasped between kisses.

"I love you too," Harry said.

Harry began to kiss his way-too-sensitive neck and Draco melted completely. He moaned aloud before turning red and clamping his mouth shut. Harry just laughed softly and kissed him until he let his tongue in his mouth. He had needed this. Time had stopped completely. Kissing him was the best way to feel alive, for a few minutes he felt immortal. The passion was peaking and he didn't want to stop here. Draco stopped kissing him and rolled off of him. Harry looked up at him in question, his lips swollen and his eyes glittering. The sight had Draco going mad.

"I think the couch can only do so much," He said, glancing towards the bedroom.

Harry grinned, "I agree."

Draco took his hand and led him to their room. His heart wouldn't calm as Harry stripped out of his shirt and unbuckled his pants. His body was beautiful in the orange light coming from outside, all muscles from his job, tanned and toned, and _Harry_. So undeniably Harry, Draco could recognize his chest or hands anywhere. He felt like he was flying as they kissed, soaring through the clouds when they were making love. Harry was the beat and he was the song, and they got every lyric right.

* * *

 **A/N** So much fluff! I just had to write this! It was an idea from one of my best friends who is by the way a fantastic writer. I hope you've enjoyed reading this! If you're feeling friendly feel free to hit that Fav button or drop me a review. This was supposed to be silly and light and I had fun writing it.


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